Manningham United Blues is reaping the rewards, following groundbreaking investment and attention to its female program.
In 2022, Manningham jumped from five girls’ teams to eight and this season the Club has seen an astronomical growth of 600% in female participation.
Manningham United President Nick Raptopoulos said the popularity of female football has "exploded" which has coincided with higher demand by players.
"To grow the game and stay relevant we need to invest equally in both men’s and women’s teams," he said.
"It’s important that our women and girls see actions and not just words. When we say we are treating our seniors programs the same, we back that up with tangible actions, things that both Men’s and Women's seniors' teams can see.
"At our club one is not more critical than the other. Our Community atmosphere thrives because we have the same expectations and standards for our men and women and provide both programs with the same priority and care."
After last season, Manningham was languishing in sixth position of the Women’s State League 3 East competition, 27 points off the top spot, however, the Club pulled off a miraculous turnaround and finished 2023 as Champions, only losing one game for the season.
Women’s Senior Team Captain, Alana Fenton said at the end of the 2022 season, her side had to “rebuild and reset” to improve their misfortunes.
“We unfortunately lost a lot of players and nearly ended up playing every single game with eight or nine on the field,” she explained.
“We got in an amazing new coach, he had more experience in men’s football, but he put his hand up to come in and coach the team and we ended up retaining the core group from 2022 but had a large influx of new players ranging from 13 to over 40.”
Fenton said the improvement in the side could be credited to the equal opportunities the Club provided the female players.
“I have been at the Club since 2013 and there has never been this much investment in the women’s program,” she said.
"We get the same facilities as the NPL Men’s – the way it should be, the club makes sure the girls get the same treatment as the men and it has had a big impact because players feel included by the club instead of just a second option.”
Manningham enjoyed a near-flawless season, claiming the Premiership and then weeks later, defeating Pascoe Vale FC 4-0 to win the Women’s State League 3 Championship.
“It’s been a great season, we only ended up losing one match for the year against Melbourne Victory in Round 17,” Fenton stated.
“I was so proud we were able to bring it home in the end, we are such a close-knit group.
“We will keep working to do the same next year and keep working our way up, I think we are more than capable of being competitive in STL2 next year.”
Fenton suffered a season-ending ankle injury in her side’s Round 8 clash with Melbourne Victory, however, she was still instrumental around the Club and could even grace the pitch for the last two minutes of the team’s two finals matchups.
“Once I got injured, I had a bigger part to play in improving the culture on the side and working with the younger girls and the other girls in the team in more of a mentoring role as I couldn’t make much of an impact on the pitch,” she explained.
“The club supported me through that time too and made me feel included and just being able to assist in the development of the girls from a mental health point of view.
“Even though I wasn’t in a position to play, the coach wanted to acknowledge that I was a part of the side, so in the final, he put me on which allowed me to both wear the uniform and lift the cup at the end of the match, which was a really good token of achievement for myself to be able to be around my team at that time.”
The narrative of Manningham’s 2023 triumph became even more impressive when 13-year-old, Gia Kapsimallis started the season needing special consideration to play in the senior women’s competition but ended the season as the Golden Boot winner and WSTL3 Best and Fairest.
Gia finished the season with 21 goals to her name, as well as becoming the youngest player to score a hat-trick in the Victorian Women’ 's State Knockout Competition.
“The team was great, the coach was great, and I had a successful year which was a bonus,” she said.
“I have been at Manningham my whole soccer career so far and it is just the best being there, it feels like a second home to me, and all the players and coaches there are so welcoming and have always been so nice to me.”
Following an amazing season with Manningham, Gia will be moving on from the Club and switching to the NPLW side, FC Bulleen Lions.
“I had a few trials at different Clubs, but Bulleen ended up being the best option for me, I want to thank Manningham, for everything they have done for me as a person and during my football career, I will never forget my time there” she explained.
Despite receiving countless accolades this season, the thing Gia will miss most will be the time spent with her teammates.
“It was great and amazing feeling (scoring goals), but winning the Championship can’t be topped,” Gia recalled.
“It was the best feeling, we had achieved finally what we had set out to do, and doing it with that group of girls was amazing.
“The weekly dinners and presentation night are also really good memories for me, this year has just been the best.”
After creating such a fantastic women’s football culture, Fenton was adamant they would be able to fill the void Gia would leave next season, however her mark on the team would not be lost.
“It was so good to see such a young girl making such an impact on the side, her support made a difference to the side,” she said.
“We wish her the best of luck for her season next year, she is a part of the family now and we will all be down there supporting her during her next step as well.
“We are all super proud of her journey and what she has been able to provide us this season and I think the forwards we have in the squad along with the possibility of bringing in some new players, we be able to get the job done.”